Solace in Silence
by Devon Williams
Summary: Bonds are not easily formed, yet some are found even in the most quizzical of circumstances and they grow and become something greater than anything one could imagine. (Experiment in poly love rated M to be safe)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The clock in the Gryffindor tower struck twelve and Hermione tossed around in her bed. She couldn't sleep. She was plagued by nightmares of the troll.

She had thought that Dumbledore and the other professors had been right about the school. It was the safest place in the magical world, but that illusion had been shattered when she had found herself face to face with a twelve foot mountain troll. How had such a thing gotten into the castle? They were some of the most dimwitted creatures in the world; there was no way that something like that could have gotten into the castle on its own but somehow it had. To make matters worst the teachers had not been the ones to save her from the beast, but two other children- first years like herself- had been the ones to rescue her from a terrible demise.

Hermione sighed and sat up. She knew there was no way that she was going to get any sleep. The smell of that grotesque beast and the fear that she felt as she saw its club descent toward her would not leave her. Slowly she made her way out of bed and into the common room. To her surprise the fireplace was still lit.

She took a seat in one of the chairs directly in front of it and stared into the flames. There was something magical about the flames. She remembered when she was younger she would often curl up in front of the fireplace in her living room with a book. The sound of crackling flames and the imagery of a good story would relive her of the stress and anxiety, but now the flames did no such thing.

They only left her wanting for something. The castle seemed so different now. There was nowhere that she was truly safe. If it wasn't the troll it was Snape who took pleasure in demeaning and verbally torturing students, or it was the threat of death on the third floor that she was sure was no longer just a joke- if a tasteless one- or it was the students.

The other students were worst that anything that she had dealt with in primary school. At least then she was only picked on because of her intelligence and the love that she garnered from the teachers, but here everything about her made her a target: her hair, her teeth, the fact that she was a muggleborn. She often had to fight the urge to cry, and the incident with Ronald had been the last straw.

She didn't blame him for going off on her no matter how wrong it had seemed. He had already been putting up with her for a while and she was being overbearing and she knew it, but it was her attempt to endear herself to someone. He needed help and she had thought that if she gave it to him that he would at least give her a chance, but she had blown it.

He was right she had thought. She would never have any friends, and when the troll came crashing into the bathroom on the second floor she had thought that no one would save her. Who would put their life on the line for some upstart mudblood know-it-all? She had assumed she was going to die in that moment, and she lamented the fact that she would die at the age of twelve having never had a friend.

That was until the small frames of Harry Potter, and Ronald Weasley came rushing into the loo, and they had saved her. She did not think of them as friends even in that moment. Yes they had saved her, not out of friendship, but out of guilt. To them it was their fault that she was in danger in the first place. Had Ron not said what he had or had Harry tried to comfort her she might not have ended up in that stall with the troll.

They had both apologized profusely, and she had forgiven them even though in her mind there was nothing for them to be forgiven about . It was her own fault. If she were nicer and less bossy then she might have been able to make friends, but she wasn't and didn't.

The more she thought about the two the more she realized that they were the only people in the school that she had really interacted with barring professors -who only congratulated her on her good work-.

Hermione looked up at the stairs that led to the boy's dormitories. The stairs were charmed so that boys could not go up the to girl's rooms, but the boy's side had no such charm. She thought about what she would do for a moment. She knew that she would not be getting back to sleep and the common room was not helping as much as she had thought it would.

She sighed and stood. She gave the fire one last glance and turned making her way up the stairs. She stopped at the first door on her right which was marked "First Years". Gently she opened the door.

The room was surprising like the one that she shared with her dorm-mates, albeit with a few extra beds. The red and gold was not garish as she had thought it would be and it gave the room a homey feeling, but observing the room was not why she had gone in.

It took her only a moment to see her target. Harry was asleep lying curled up in a ball. He had his glasses off something that she had never seen. She stared at him for a long while not moving, and then he gave a toss and turned a little.

* * *

Gathering up her courage Hermione crossed the distance between the doorway and his bed. She gently lifted the covers and slid in next to him. The bed creaked a bit but he didn't move. She let out the breath that she was holding in and snuggled as close to him as she could. Soon she felt the call of sleep and quickly succumbed.

Ron woke in the middle of the night. He had to go the bathroom. After he finished he splashed water on his face. Even though he had only awoken to pee he really did not want to go back to sleep. His mind was still filled with what had happened earlier.

He had been wanting to talk to Harry all day about the troll incident. Normally he would have told the other boys in their dorm or even some of the upper year boys, but that just didn't sit right with him. Harry had not spoken a word about it to anyone including him, and he felt that it was time that they discussed it.

He knew that the entire thing was his fault. If he had only kept his mouth shut then Hermione would not have ended up in that bathroom, and if it wasn't for the fact that Harry remembered that Hermione wasn't at the Halloween feast then he was sure that she would have died.

Death was not something that he thought about often-or at all-. He had never known anyone that had died. To him it was like there was no true danger in the world, but now he was not so sure. To think that a troll had gotten into a school, and not just any school, but Hogwarts the school that was headed by Albus Dumbledore the man that You-Know-Who had feared. It was an outrage, and they had nearly paid the ultimate price for the inadequacies of the school staff.

Ron left the bathroom and walked back into his room.

He looked over to Harry's bed and was shocked to see Harry lying in bed beside Hermione who was also deep in sleep. She had her arms wrapped around Harry's torso and her face was buried in his shoulder. There was something about the scene that made Ron's stomach flutter.

He turned away from them and thought for only a moment of leaving them the way that they were. It would be easy and he could avoid talking about what he was seeing, but he knew that he couldn't do that. He needed to talk to Harry, but talking to Hermione would help too. After all everything revolved around her.

He leaned over the bed and put one hand on each of them and gently shook. It didn't take long before their eyes fluttered open, and Ron was met with the unfocused translucent emerald green of Harry's, and the deep soul searching chocolate of Hermione's.

Hermione shifted and Harry gave a gasp. When he had awoken he had felt a warmth around him that he had never felt before, but now that things were coming into focus -not his sight as he had not yet donned his glasses- he realized that the warmth was that of another person that was snuggled into him.

He had never had such a thing happen to him. His aunt and uncle would rather die than give him any semblance of affection, and Dudley was more endeared with causing him pain than comfort. He gave a little wiggle and the person released him. Quickly he grabbed his glasses from his nightstand and put them on. He was more than a little surprised to see a red faced Hermione sitting bolt upright on his bed and an equally abashed looking Ron standing next to it. It took little effort to deduce that Hermione had been the one that was holding him in his sleep and Ron had been the one to wake him, though that didn't explain why the bushy haired witch had been in his bed in the first place.

Harry felt a yawn coming but quickly stifled it. He gave them both a grin that he didn't truly feel, but thought would help ease the tension that he could feel building.

"What are you guys doing here?" he asked in a whisper mindful of the others that were in the room asleep. He didn't know if one of them might wake and he was sure if they did then the situation would take a turn for the worst.

"I couldn't sleep." Hermione answered but she did not offer anymore than that. It seemed as thought she knew that he was looking for more but she couldn't bring herself to tell him. "But I think I should go back to my room now."

She made to get off the bed but Harry grabbed her arm and pulled her back it. He did not know how but he could feel that she would not get back to sleep if she went back to her dorm.

"Stay a little while... I don't mind."

Ron stared at the two. He had not spoken a word and he was not sure that he could trust himself to do so. Contrary to popular belief Ron was not completely thick to girls. He grew up with brothers older than him and he had learned over the years that girls had an appeal to boys -why he didn't know- it was just that he personally had not hit the stage where he understood it.

It didn't matter now though. He just knew that Hermione needed comforting, and he and Harry needed to talk.

Hermione stared at him as though he had grown a second head. He almost winced. The situation was a bit awkward seeing his best mate – though he couldn't help but feel that it was a little too soon to be sure of that- in bed with a girl. His mother would have went spare at the sight.

"Ron's right Hermione you can stay a while longer and tell us what's really wrong." Harry interjected.

Hermione turned to him and he shot Ron a wink. The red head only nodded grateful for the save.

"Harry it's not important. Just let me go back to my room." Hermione hastily said as she got up to leave. Harry did not let go of her arm. She glared at him "Let me go Harry!" she hissed.

"Hermione I'm not letting you go until you tell me what's wrong."

Ron realizing that they might get loud pushed Hermione onto the bed and allowed himself to fall onto it too. He closed the curtains and the silencing charms that where built into the fabric activated protecting them from prying ears.

"Calm down you two you almost woke everyone." Harry and Hermione both had the presence of mind to look abashed at that, though the fierceness did not leave the bushy haired witch's eyes.

"I'm sorry." Hermione said. "But I think it was a mistake for me to come here."

"It wasn't a mistake you came here for a reason, and I think you should talk about it." Harry said evenly, though his patience was wearing thin with the girl. He had no experience dealing with anyone in their time of need. The Durselys were not kind and no one wanted to deal with that criminal "Potter boy".

Hermione did not say anything opting to try to pry herself from Harry. "It's about the troll isn't it?" Ron said more than asked.

It was the only thing that he could think of that would make the girl seek them out. She was not friends with them and she did not like them especially with how she tended to dislike people who slacked off, and he and Harry avoided studying whenever they could.

Hermione's glared died as she turned to Ron. The smell and sight of that great beast came crashing to the forefront of her mind, and she could not help but shiver and shake as her eyes began to tear up. She let out a choked sob as she lost herself within the memory.

Ron had not thought that threw. He hadn't expected her to cry. She had lived through the attack and was relatively unscathed, but then he remembered that they had not gotten to her before the troll got an attack off. She had come much closer to death than he realized.

Ron looked at Harry expecting him to do something but the other boy was frozen with the girl's hand in his; she was sobbing and trying to fight him off with what little strength she could muster through the fear induced haze.

Ron did not think instead he acted. He was the youngest boy of his family with a little sister. He often had to make sure that she was alright and had dealt with many crying fits -though none resulting from a near death experience-. He reached forward and pulled the distraught girl into a light soothing hug.

At first she fought him just as she had Harry, but after a few moments she relaxed into the warmth and protection that his body offered. Harry who had only been watching lamely quickly joined the embrace. It was hesitant due to his sparse history of physical contact that did not result in pain. No one moved as they all allowed themselves to ease into it, and even though it was soft and clumsy there was a great fervor in it born of the desperation and fear of Hermione, the need to protect and safeguard from Ron, and the need to truly to understand and be involved from Harry.

They fell once more into the void of slumber that way with the heat and protection of one another, and they dreamt. Hermione dreamt not of the maliciousness of the troll but of the stories that she had read as a little girl of dashing knight and powerful heroes who saved damsels and protected the innocent, and in these dreams she was often the damsel while Harry and Ron played the part of the heroes.

Ron dreamt of family. He allowed himself to be engrossed in the vivid scenes of love and the familiarity of home, though every so often these dreams would be interrupted by memories of the train ride, though vastly different from his recollection. In these moments he saw himself acting politely to Hermione. He saw a past where he had not been the cause of such strife in her short tenor at Hogwarts.

* * *

Harry's dreams were much less vivid but no less impacting. He dreamt of hugs, of contact with others that was enjoyable. He dreamt of laughing, playing, and running. He dreamt a life without fear of Dudley's or Draco's making others hate him or bullying him. But most importantly he dreamt of having his own friends: he dreamt of Ron and Hermione.

The next day Hermione is the first to awake as the sun rose. She did not open her eyes instead she enjoyed the feel of a strange heat that she had not felt before. She never had the comfort of a sibling or parents that allowed her within in their bedroom even when she had a bad dream thus she did not realize at first what the heat was, but then the memories of the previous night came to her and she knew what she was feeling.

She opened her eyes tentatively. She saw that she was wrapped between Harry and Ron. The red head was spooned behind her with his arms wrapped around her and Harry who was clinging to her front head buried in her shoulder.

Harry looked so small and vulnerable especially without his glasses, Ron on the other hand felt sturdy and strong. Gently Hermione lifted a hand and ran it through Harry's hair. He rubbed his head into her hand following it subconsciously.

Hermione would have laughed, but she knew that there was no time for that. Even though she was enjoying the comfort of being wrapped up in them she knew that it was only a matter of time before everyone started to wake and they would be in trouble if anyone caught her in their room. So with a sigh she eased herself away from them. It took more effort than she would have liked as both boys had strong grips but eventually she extracted herself from them. As soon as she was free of their hold the two reached for each other and embraced once more.

Hermione silently made her way out of the room and to her own dorm once again. Luckily there were not prefects or older students up yet. When she got to her room she went to her trunk and rummaged through it for a moment and produced her school clothes and some toiletries.

Since it was morning it would only be a matter of time before Gryffindor tower would be alive with action so she decided that a shower was in order.

The feeling of the water on her skin was heavenly. The steam spread through her and the warmth that it imparted on her brought back the feeling of closeness she had with Harry and Ron,but she quashed the thought. They were not friends and she should not have done what she did last night. They had no desire to befriend, and she was not going to accept their pity.

When she finished her shower Lavender and Pavarti were awake and gossiping as they tended to do. She ignored them and went to gather her things for the day. She cast the tempus charm, it read 6:10 am. There was more than an hour before breakfast began. She decided that light reading was what she needed, but not in the form of _Hogwarts a History_ as she was known for but a muggle novel. It was a novel that she had found called  " _House of the Spirits"_ it was a translation and she had read it twice already but it never failed to intrigue her.

It was not long after she lost herself within the familiar world of a troubled family in a troubled world that her dorm-mates tapped her on the shoulder and signaled that they were headed down for breakfast. She didn't know why they had bothered but she was thankful. She did not want to miss breakfast or be late for her double potions with the Slytherin. She packed her things and made her way down.

Hermione was relieved that Harry and Ron as nowhere to be seen. Her shower had done nothing for what she was feeling and she was not sure that she could bare the sight of the two of them at that moment.

She did not get lost on her way to the great hall. It seemed that it had taken her no time to get a feel for the castle and she was glad. It had been a nightmare for her the first few weeks; stairs the never stayed still, walls that pretended to be doors, doors that led to walls. It seemed that the school was made for those who were missing a few screws.

Breakfast was a quiet affair for her. She took a seat near the end of the table and made herself a small plate of bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast. She wasn't really that hungry but she was used to eating breakfast every morning so it was routine for her to force it sometimes.

As she slowly ate she felt the bench creak on either side of her as two people sat down. She ignored them and focused on her plate. She had not looked at them but she knew who they were.

"Morning Hermione." Harry said politely.

"Morning." Ron groaned out.

She did not respond. Whether it was out of pettiness or embarrassment sh could not say She did not want to talk to either of them. They tended to have the eyes of their entire house on them at all times though they never seemed to notice it, and she was sure if they wanted to talk the conversation would end up on the topic of last night or the troll and those were both things that she wanted to keep to herself.

Harry was not one to be ignored that morning. "How are you feeling?" he asked, and from the tone of his voice he was going to keep asking if she kept trying to block him out.

'I'm fine." she huffed out lowly.

"That's good." Ron said between bites. Normally he would have been stuffing his mouth but he didn't want to scare her away with less than stellar table manners, though he only barely kept from talking with his mouth full.

"Look Hermione I' sorry about yesterday." the red head offered in a low murmur mindful of where they were.

"I already forgave you." she replied.

"I know but I don't deserve to be forgive so easily! I mean you almost died!" He barely contained his urge to shout. Did she not understand what that meant. She had almost lost everything because of his stupid mouth.

"It's just as much my fault. If I had thicker skin then I wouldn't have run off like that." she said slumping into her chair at the melancholic topic.

She felt a hand on top of the one of hers. She looked up and her eyes connected with Harry's. "It was not your fault no matter how much you say it Hermione."

She wanted to pull her hand from his but she didn't. "Can't you understand that it is? I deserve what I get. Ron was right I'm a bossy know-it-all and I deserve to be treated the way I am!" tears threatened to spill forth once more, but Ron's hand came forward to brush them away.

Hew looked her in the eyes and began to say something but was cut off as the bell rang to signal the end of breakfast. Hermione seized this moment to pull away from the duo and beat a hasty retreat to their day of double potions. She knew that they would have no chance to talk to her there due to Snape's hatred of them; neither wanted to serve detention with the man.

The day passed slowly. Potions was just as bad as she thought it would be although she avoided losing points or detention. To her surprise so did Harry and Ron, but that was more likely due to the fact that Neville was the subject of the professor's ire.

After Potions was History which thankfully bored Ron and Harry to sleep before they could get a word out. She was able to leave before either of them awoke to realize that she had gotten away. Her day continued like that. She avoided them. She would have gone back to her dorm before curfew but she really did not want to dealt with her roommates. They knew something was wrong with her and would not hesitate to pester her about it.

When curfew finally came she went straight up to her room and took a short hot shower before lying down for bed. However once again she could not sleep. She lay there for hours trying to let her mind wander into the abyss of dreams but nothing happened. No matter what she did she could not fall asleep.

She lay in bed for what felt like an eternity before the clock chimed out the call of midnight.. Hermione furrowed her brow in frustration. Her body was betraying her. She knew what would allow her to fall into the realms of dreams, but that was the last thing that she wanted to deal with.

She closed her eyes tightly, but nothing worked. Eventually wearily she got out of bed, and soon once again found herself facing Harry's bed. The curtains were closed. With a soft grip she pulled the curtain's apart, and barely held onto the gasp of shock that made its way into her throat.

Harry and Ron were cuddled together with Ron's long gangly arms wrapped snugly around Harry who had his face buried in the other boy's chest. Her cheeks flushed at the sight.

Was this what Ron had seen between Harry and herself before? The sight was undoubted awkward but there was an underlying sense of rightness to it, but it looked incomplete. There was no doubt about what would complete the scene.

Quickly and as lightly as she could she lifted the covers as she had done the night before and crawled in. She threw her arms around both boys swaddling them in a gentle yet intense embrace. She did not notice that both boys opened their eyes as she lay into them nor the approving looks they shot each other as she nestled into them.

When morning came again Hermione awoke and she stared with contentment as she lay between the boys, but she knew that she had to leave just as before. She once again began to pry herself free of their embrace and just as she found freedom and got up they both moved.

"Good morning." their voices said thick with sleep. She looked at them awkwardly. They made no move to keep her in the bed.

"Good morning." she replied before turning her back and making her way to her room. She was glad that they did not try to talk as they had before. It made things easier. Solace came with silence and time mended the wounds.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The next few days are a blur to the Ron. He and Harry do not try to to pressure Hermione into talking about anything. He knew that it was pretentious of them to do so the first time and that was a mistake that they were not willing to repeat.

Hermione began to ease into their routine, and so did her nightly visits. The morning more often than not found her cuddled up between the two, and they awoke before the dawn to exchange "good mornings". There was no unpleasantness in those times, but they never talked about it. It was their secret.

Their school life was much changed with the presence of Hermione. They had decided that they would study with her. It would have been easier to just ask her to "help" them with their work, but Harry had said in no uncertain terms that that would be taking advantage of her and after barely getting her friendship there was no way that he was going to betray her in such a way.

They fell into a routine of studying in the library whenever they had the chance, though they had reached a compromise of only two hours there before heading to the common room to unwind and play games. Ron taught them how to play chess as he felt that "working too hard will make a bloke go spare".

Harry had Quidditch practice three times a week at 7pm. It was this that changed things for them. Harry's first match of the season was on the Saturday following the incident, and it was against the Slytherins who were said to cheat heavily.

"Harry do you think its safe for you to play today?" Ron asked in a nervous voice. "i mean the Slytherins hate your guts and you're against them Slytherin. They don't play fair mate ."

Harry was a little nervous at the prospect of playing against the house that was known to pull every dirty trick in the book especially with the penchant for seekers to find themselves with the most injuries but he was not going to back down. He really loved flying and chasing the snitch a practice had been more fun than he could imagine.

"Ron you shouldn't worry. Madam Hooch will be there to ensure that the Slytherins don't play fast and loose with the rules." Hermione said adding in her two cents.

"She's right Ron. I'll be fine." he turned to make his way to the locker room to get ready for the match. "You two should get to the stands."

Hermione nodded and grabbed Ron. By 11 the two found themselves crushed in the stands between the rowdy crowds. Nearly all of the students and professors were in attendance and the stadium seemed a little inadequate. It was more than a little smothering.

Hermione seemed uncomfortable. "You alright?" Ron asked

She nodded. "Its just the height. I'm worried for Harry. We have the benches between us and the ground but all he has are his broom and the free air."

Ron swallowed thickly but smiled nonetheless. "Don't worry he'll be fine. He's a bloody brilliant flyer."

Soon the players came out of their locker rooms and met on the field before Madam Hooch. Ron pulled out a sheet that he and Hermione had created. Ron had found a spell that copied images onto other surfaces and Hermione had gotten hold of a book with a large picture of a lion on it. They copied the picture onto the sheet and she had charmed it to flash red and gold and roar.

It was impressive charms work and Ron was sure that he could have never done it on his own but Hermione was a genius and the more time that he spent around her the more confidence he gain and the more he pressed forward in his studies.

Harry looked up into the stands and spotted them. He gave a blinding smile. Hooch blew her whistle then had and the other mounted their brooms and took to the skies.

Neither of them paid attention to the commentary of Lee Jordan or any of the players besides Harry. They were enamored at how he moved so gracefully through the skies as though he were born to fly. The was a cheer through the crowd as Gryffindor scored but they did not notice.

"Budge up." they heard a voice say. It was deep and booming and Ron recognized it as Hagrid. He turned and gave the half giant a smile as did Hermione.

"Hagrid!" Ron and Hermione shuffled a bit to give the burly man enough space.

"Ron 'Ermione. Good ter see ya." He said. "Was watchin' from me hut," He peered through a thick pair of binoculars toward where Harry had decided to hover after the many false alarms of gold.

"Ain't seen the snitch yet eh?"

Ron shook his head. "Nope, but he's had a couple of false starts with the way he's been flying."

Hagrid let loose a booming laugh that shook Ron and Hermione. "Well least he's keepin' outta trouble."

Above them Harry gave a sudden lurch and threw himself into a dive. He had seen the snitch. The other seeker had seen it too and soon the two were neck and neck racing toward the little golden ball. Harry was faster though and soon he nearly had his hand clasp around it.

But then a large body checked into Harry sending him off course. Harry held on tight, and Hermione nearly gave a scream but she held it in her throat unwilling to cause a scene.

The one who checked Harry was Marcus Flint. Hooch gave him a warning and Gryffindor was given a free shot.

Hermione turned to Ron. "Are you sure this is safe?" she knew that it was her that had reassured Harry that everything would be alright but at that moment she was not so sure.

Ron took her into a slight comforting hug. "He'll be fine Hermione." he wasn't sure that he even believed his own words but he was not going to make her cry again.

Harry was a bit unnerved by the hit but he put it on the back burner. After the free shot the game resumed and Harry had to quickly dodge a bludger that had gotten a bit too close for comfort. As he barreled away from the angry ball his broom gave a lurch and he felt for a split second that he was going to fall. He gripped his broom with all of his might and it came to life bucking like a sullen bull trying to dislodge a rider that it would then gore.

He tried to direct his broom and make his way down to Wood to all time out, but he found he couldn't. It was as though the thing had a mind of it's own. It began an ascent into the heavens.

Hermione covered her mouth in shock. Only she seemed to know that Harry was in trouble. The boy was a great flyer and he would never make such erratic movement.

"Ron something's wrong with Harry..." she began in a horse whisper. "I think he might not be in control of his broom!"

"What do you mean?" he asked apprehension in his voice.

"I said he's not in control of his broom!"

"But how? Only a jinx could do that to a broom. They have all kinds of charms to make sure they're bloody safe!"

"Then someone is jinxing him!" Ron said something back but she ignored it. Her eyes scanned the crowd looking for someone who could be the culprit. From what she knew of jinxes whoever was doing it had to have their eyes locked on the target and speaking the incantation.

She yanked the pair of binoculars that Ron was carrying from him and turned them toward the Slytherin side of the stands. She knew that professor Snape hated Harry, and right now that was the only lead that she had.

"It's Snape Ron." she shoved the binocular's back into Ron's hands and scrambled into the stands rushing toward Snape. He gave a groan as she left but he didn't say anything. He knew that she was trying to save Harry even though she was not telling him what she was doing.

Hermione raced through the stands, and quickly ducked onto the row behind Snape. She accidentally knocked Quirrell headfirst onto the row in front of him. When she reached Snape she drew her wand and mutter. Blue flames danced from her wand and set fire to Snape's robes. As quickly as she had come Hermione disappeared back into the crowd.

She heard the greasy haired potion's professor howl as he realized that he was on fire, and she saw that Harry had finally got control over his broom again. She let loose a sigh of relief.

After the match Harry, Ron, and Hermione met up with Hagrid for tea, but it was far from relaxing. The gullible half giant accidentally dropped information that sent the trio into a tizzy.

He owned the Cerberus that guarded the third floor corridor, and something belonging to one Nicholas Flamel was housed within. Harry and Ron could not help but think that Snape was after whatever it was as they had seen him limping with an injured leg, and Harry overheard him speaking with Filch of how to get past the beast.

"Harry Ron we need to find out who Nicholas Flamel is and how to follow Snape around without getting caught." Hermione said as they walked from Hagrid's to the castle proper.

"I know." Harry replied. "But where are we gonna find out that?" Harry replied causing Hermione to brighten up and Ron to groan.

Hermione opened her mouth to speak but Ron beat her to it. "The library Harry. That's where we can find something and that's where we're going."

Harry nodded and began to follow Ron who took the lead. They avoided anyone they could on the way. After the Quidditch match everyone was looking at Harry with admiration or disdain (only the Slytherins), and he really had no want to deal with people shouting at him in attempts to get his attention and relay how awe inspiring or wretched his performance was. He had only caught the snitch which was barely apart of the game (he often wondered why the seeker got so many points for really doing nothing).

Once they were inside the library Hermione took out a list of subjects and titles that she wanted to research; it was easier said than done though. The library was massive: tens of thousands of books upon thousands of shelves in hundreds of narrow rows. The task of finding what they were looking for was more akin to finding a needle within a haystack.

On the far end of the library was the restricted section. It housed several thousand more books dedicated to obscure and perhaps dark magic that was not taught to the school proper. Only students with special permissions from a professor were allowed to enter.

Harry stared at the entrance to the restricted section. He could not help but think that maybe what he needed was housed within those ancient and dangerous tomes.

"What are you doing, boy?" came a stern voice that Harry recognized as Madam Pince. She was a surly woman that loved books above all else, and she was a stickler for the rules.

Harry's throat felt dry. He knew that he would be in trouble if he didn't answer but he wasn't sure that there was anything that he could say that would not lead to the same.

"He was waiting on me Madam Pince." a strong feminine voice said.

Harry turned toward the voice and saw a tall young woman with a rounded heart shaped face deep purple eyes and short pink hair. She gave him a smile. "Wotcher Harry."

Madam Pince gave the two of them a foul look. "Well keep him away from that section Ms. Tonks."

The girl -Tonks- shook her head as Pince walked away. "Any reason Harry Potter was staring at the restricted section like some unrequited lover?"

"I'm sorry Ms. Tonks I was-" Harry began but was cut off by the girl clasping a hand over his mouth.

"Tonks just Tonks and nothing else got it?" he nodded and then she let go of his mouth.

"Well Tonks I was only looking is there something wrong with that?" he asked with more guilt in his voice than he wanted.

"Oh don't get ya knickers in a twist I won't bust ya." She said playfully.

Harry was in awe as her hair turned from its light pink to a wavy blue. As he stared he heard a gasp behind him. Hermione and Ron had come looking for him.

Tonks shot him an enormous cheshire grin . "So you were up to nothing with your two stooges."

Ron glared at the older girl. "We are not stooges. We're his friends."

"Aww isn't the wittle baby cute." She reached forward and pinched Ron's cheek. He batted her hand away.

Harry decided he had had enough. Hermione had not said anything but he knew that she would soon and he had no want to find himself between two girls when one was annoyed with the other. "Uhh Tonks I was only curious about the restricted section that's all."

She turned and fixed him with a heated stare. "Don't get too curious. Those books are not something for children to play with."

"What do you mean children?" Hermione huffed out. "You're a student too."

Tonks' stare turned into a lopsided smile. She ruffled Hermione's hair much to the girl's chagrin "I'm of age pipsqueak, an adult."

Hermione only glowered and turned to Harry. "We need to get back to what we were doing."

She took Harry's hand in one of her own and grabbed Ron's with the other. Tonks blinked owlishly as the small girl dragged the two boys off. Normally she would have ignored the children. They meant nothing to her and she was unsure why she had covered for Harry.

She had never had real bonds with other students at Hogwarts. They were all more interested in her metamorphmagus abilities than anything else. They wanted her to change her shape and act like a clown. She liked to joke around as much as anyone else but she hated people who pestered her to do as they wished.

When she was sorted into Hufflepuff she thought people would treat her with respect and try to get to learn about the real her, after all the house was know for its solidarity, loyalty, and work ethic. What she found within how was far from what she had pictured. Hufflepuff was a house of disgruntled students. Most of those sorted into it grew up with stories of the house being essentially a place for rejects. If you weren't smart enough to be in Ravenclaw, brave enough for Gryffindor, or cunning enough for Slytherin you ended up a puff.

There was little house pride to them. They all felt slighted. People saw them as easy targets and the solidarity that they showed was only skin deep. Outside of the commons they protected one another but within it was more of a free for all. Few of them became friends with one another, as the prejudices that they were fed as children mad it impossible for them to respect other puffs even if they were puffs themselves.

The muggleborns were not exempt from this. They were bedraggled by the heckling and complete disregard that others held for them. Their head of house Pamona Sprout did nothing to protect them as she saw it as nothing more than a learning experience; "Adversity" she would say "builds character.". So puffs being bullied became the norm and there was nothing that they could do.

Tonks got it the worst due to her abilities. When people realized that she would not bow to their tune she became an outcast within her own house. No one wanted anything to do with her especially when she was often the target of "pranks" (borderline illegal) from the snakes, griffins, and even claws.

It was because of this that she built herself a mask. She pretended to be happy and care-free, acting as though nothing got through her skin. When people who pranked her saw that it did nothing they began to leave her alone, never knowing that she spent more of her time crying alone in secluded classrooms.

Tonks shook herself. Curiosity was not something that she often allowed to get the better of her but for some reason Harry Potter and his two sidekicks were just too much to pass up. Silently she stalked her way through the library and to a shelf close to the table that the trio was seated at.

"Hermione was need a way to follow the bloody git!" Ron groaned.

"He's right. We know that he's after whatever it is that the Cerberus is guarding. If we followed him them we might be able to get clues as to what it is or at least warn Dumbledore the next time he goes after it."

Hermione shot Harry an annoyed look. "Why can't we just research Flamel that way we can have a better understand of the situation."

Tonks drowned them out after that. It was quite a shock to see first years plotting, especially first year gryfs. They tended to be the ones that run face first into a problem without any though of whatsoever. Hell that was one of the problems with the entire house system. Students were sorts at a young age based on traits that can be gained later in life. Even worse than that most of the people in those houses didn't even exhibit the trait that they were in the house for.

Tonks decided then and there that Harry and his cohorts were fun and she wanted to see how they would progress. The next week she spent her says when she was not studying following the three. She wondered how no one ever caught onto what they were doing. They were not subtle in the least, but she guessed it had something to do with the aura they presented, whatever it was it didn't work on her.

She often found the three in the library reading books on Nicholas Flamel. It didn't take her long to realize that the famous alchemist had something to do with the threat of death that lay on the third floor, and if that was true then it meant that only one thing could be hidden there: the philosopher's stone.

It seemed that only the three of them knew anything about what was going on, even if they had no idea what was housed within the school. The professors did not seem to suspect anyone of being after the artifact, and that was scary. She knew that they would have protected something like that but whoever was after it would have to be incredibly powerful for them to move something like that into the castle; aster all Hogwarts was the safest place in the wizarding world protected by the greatest wizard of the age.

It was on Sunday November 24 that Tonks swaggered into the library this time not under the effect of a disillusion charm. She quickly made her way to a table in the far back where Harry, Ron, and Hermione liked to meet and plot. The didn't even notice her. No one ever came back there so it was no surprise.

"Wotcher." she said. The trio whirled around so fast that she was honestly surprised that none of them broke their necks.

"What are you doing here?" Ron asked in a harsh whisper.

Tonks smirked. "Well I couldn't help but overhear your conversation."

Hermione's face drained of color at that. "What do you mean?" she barely held her voice afraid that it would falter on her.

"You know what I mean. You're researching what's being guarded on the third floor, and you suspect someone, most likely Snape is after it."

'So what it's not like its any of your business!" Ron was as red as his hair.

"Well seeing as you are terrible at keeping secrets I'm more than a little shocked that no one else knows what you're up to."

Ron made to speak again but Harry spoke up first. "What do you want? It's obvious that you could have told on us if you wanted to."

Tonks giggled. 'I could have but I don't wanna. I wanna help you."

The trio resembled a triad of gaping fish. Hermione was the first to recover. "Aren't you a seventh year? Don't you have to study for your NEWTS?"

'You know what they say about all work and no play." Tonks ruffled Hermione's hair as she had before. "Sides I'm only helping a little."

The pinkette reached into her bag and took out three books that were wrapped in Christmas paper. "Those will be a good start but I charmed them not to open until Christmas."

There was a moment of awkward silence. "Thanks..." Ron said causing Tonks to realize that only Harrry knew her name.

"Name's Tonks. Only Tonks." Ron and Hermione introduced themselves also.

"It's nice to meet you guys."

The next few weeks fell into a pattern. Harry, Ron, and Hermione would got through their days as before, but on those days that Harry had no Quidditch practice the trio would meet in the library and look through as much information as they could to try and figure out the mystery of Nicholas Flamel and the third floor corridor.

Tonks would join them whenever she was available, which was more than they thought at first. She was after all a seventh year who would be sitting her NEWTS that year, but is seemed that the course work was not that crushing with the free periods that she had.

"Hey Tonks are you staying for the hols?" Harry asked as he looked through a book in front of him.

"Nope I'm gonna spend them with my family." It was easier that way. She might have found some enjoyment in the presence of the trio, but that didn't make up for the disdain that she felt for the other students.

"Ron and I are staying. Hermione is going on holiday with her parents though she didn't tell us where."

Ron laughed. "I wish I could go with my mum and dad but they don't want me or the twins anywhere near Charlie and those dragons."

"Yes that would be trouble knowing how you always seem to find danger." Hermione commented.

"Whatever. It's getting late you three. You might wanna head off." Tonks said

Harry groaned. "It can't be that late." He really did not want to go back to the common room.

Tonks shook her head. "Nope its almost eight. So get up you three."

Knowing that they could not argue with her. She could tell that they did not want to go to their common, but she did not get why. Sure they still wanted to find more information about Flamel, but that was hardly something that they couldn't do in the morning. As the three left she she disillusioned herself and followed them. She cast a silencing charm on her feet so her stumbles would go unnoticed.

As she followed them they headed toward the Gryffindor tower before breaking off toward a largely unused hall that housed several classrooms. The three opened the door to one and went inside. She quickly went in after them before the door shut.

Inside of the room was empty save for a makeshift bed that was more of a cot. Hermione sat down on it. "I can't believe your brother told found out Ron." she said.

"It's not my fault. I told you he's a prat."

"Well you got that right, but you know he was right and we're lucky that it was him not McGonagall that caught us." Harry interjected.

Hermione glared at him. "I know but I just can't sleep alone anymore."

Tonks almost choked on her own breath at that statement, but she held it in not wanting to give herself away. It was obvious that this was a private moment she was intruding upon.

"I know but don't you think you should at least try?" Harry asked.

"Don't say that mate." Ron said "You and I both know that we don't sleep alone either. I mean after Perc sent her back to her room you we crawled right back into the same bed."

Harry frowned. He knew he was being hypocritical. " I know Ron but I really don't want her getting in trouble because of the two of us."

"It's not your fault Harry. It's my own." Hermione lay on the bed scooting a little bit as to make room for the other two. They took the invitation and snuggled into her as though they were not talking about sleeping in the same bed being bad.

"Besides you two don't seem to mind." She said with a giggle.

"Well I'd rather you have a goodnight's sleep." Ron chuckled

Tonks canceled her charm and her form came into view. Hermione gave a shriek, and Ron and Harry jumped off the bed.

"Tonks!" Harry yelled "It's not what it looks like."

The seventh year held her hands up in mock surrender. "Don't worry I'm not gonna snitch on ya." she said with a smirk. "But I don wanna know how this happened."

Ron gave her a defiant stare. He did not feel comfortable talking about it with anyone. This was something personal for them, and being caught by Percy the prefect had been bad enough. Hermione however knew that Tonks had them in a bind. She might not be a prefect but she was an older student and the professors might listen to her if she told anyone about what she had seen, so she told her. She left out that they had slept together every night since the incident, instead only making it seem as though they did it when they had nightmares.

Tonks gave the three a hard look. It seemed misplaced on her pretty face. "So you three sleep together for comfort?" They nodded.

"I should have know you guys were that close." she said flatly.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

Tonks laughed. "The way that you look at each other. You care for each other. Like family."

Tonks was envious of them. To think that they had something like that with each other. She knew that it would seem wrong for a girl so young to sleep in the same bed as a boy -let alone two- but she knew that there was nothing untoward to it. There was a bond of friendship stronger than what she had seen even between those Hufflepuffs that adhered to the motto of her own house.

It was to be expected she thought. They had saved Hermione's life, and that was something that could create a bond unlike any other. It stirred something within Tonks. She had for so long wanted friendship, and even though they were younger than her they were the only ones in the school that she had become close to.

She had spent time with them watching them interact, seeing the depth of how they cared for each other. Now she understood that she was not close to them at all. They had something that she would never have... true friendship. A bond that she could see was neigh unbreakable. Tonks felt her eyes begin to water and she turned to leave the room.

"Where are you going?" Harry asked. She didn't turn to acknowledge him. He could feel the sadness radiating off of her.

"I'm going to my dorm." She put a hand on the doorknob, and before she could open it a large brown bullet crashed into her. She gave an oof.

Hermione was latched tightly around her waist. "You don't have to leave Tonks." she muttered into Tonks' side.

Tonks' hair shifted into a deep cerulean. "Wha?" she asked dumbly.

Soon Ron and Harry were also holding onto her in a crushing hug. She looked down at the three first years. Why were they doing this? She could not understand. She was not one of them. She was someone who did not belong: an outsider. Their bond was their own and she had nothing to do with it. It was terrible of her to disrupt it.

"Please don't be sad Tonks." Harry said.

The three of them had come to understand Tonks somewhat. After she had given them the books -they had yet to read- they started looking for her in the crowds of students. She talked to people, she smiled, and she laughed, but they noticed something.

The smiles never reached her eyes, the laughs sounded forced, and she never talked with others about anything that she cared for. When she was around them however she was animated. She wasn't using a mask, she was herself.

In the nearly four weeks that she had started seeking them out in the library she had become a friend to them even if she had not known it. They cared for her but she tried to be aloft knowing that a seventh year should try to find solace in peers her own age, but they didn't care about such social graces.

Their solace was not found within the bounds of what was acceptable. It was found in the bond that they had formed, the experiences they shared. No one deserved to be lonely, least of all someone that they cared for.

"You're our friend. Stay with us." Ron said.

Tonks felt her mask slipping and she could no longer hold back the tears. The feelings that she had held in for so long came rushing, and her body was wracked with sobs. She wanted badly not ot be there with them. She didn't want to make things worse for them.

Sharing a bed between eleven and twelve year olds was one thing, but this was different. It was wrong, but she knew that she could not let it go. For the first time she had someone that actually cared for her. It didn't matter if they were younger than her or if others would frown upon what they had.

They had a bond between themselves, closer than anything that she could imagine yet they included her. She the outsider, the loner.

Ron tugged her arm and she felt her self move. Soon the four were on the bed. It was cramped and their bodies crushed one another, but there was comfort there. She felt at that moment more at home than she had ever felt within the halls of Hogwarts.

She had the friends that she had sought. They didn't care about her abilities, nor did they use her because she was an older year. They cared about her for who she was. They may have been young but they were better than anyone she knew. She fell asleep in that abandoned classroom with the trio curled around her.


End file.
